The present invention relates to image-forming optical systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a decentered optical system with a reflecting surface having a power for use in optical apparatus using a small-sized image pickup device, e.g. video cameras, digital still cameras, film scanners, and endoscopes.
Recently, with the achievement of small-sized image pickup devices, there has been a demand for smaller and less expensive image-forming optical systems for use in video cameras, digital still cameras, film scanners, endoscopes, etc.
In the general rotationally symmetric coaxial optical systems, however, optical elements are arranged linearly in the direction of the optical axis. Therefore, there is a limit to the reduction in thickness of the optical systems. At the same time, the number of lens elements unavoidably increases because it is necessary to correct chromatic aberration produced by a rotationally symmetric refracting lens used in the optical systems. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the cost in the present state of the art. Under these circumstances, there have recently been proposed optical systems designed to be compact in size by giving a power to a reflecting surface, which produces no chromatic aberration, and folding an optical path in the optical axis direction.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Number [hereinafter referred to as "JP(A)"] 7-333505 proposes to reduce the thickness of an optical system by giving a power to a decentered reflecting surface and folding an optical path. In an example thereof, however, the number of constituent optical members is as large as five, and actual optical performance is unclear. No mention is made of the configuration of the reflecting surface.
JP(A) 8-292371, 9-5650 and 9-90229 each disclose an optical system in which an optical path is folded by a single prism or a plurality of mirrors integrated into a single block, and an image is relayed in the optical system to form a final image. In these conventional examples, however, the number of reflections increases because the image is relayed. Accordingly, surface accuracy errors and decentration accuracy errors are transferred while being added up. Consequently, the accuracy required for each surface becomes tight, causing the cost to increase unfavorably. The relay of the image also causes the overall volumetric capacity of the optical system to increase unfavorably.
JP(A) 9-222563 discloses an example of an optical system that uses a plurality of prisms. However, because the optical system is arranged to relay an image, the cost increases and the optical system becomes large in size unfavorably for the same reasons as stated above.
JP(A) 9-211331 discloses an example of an optical system in which an optical path is folded by using a single prism to achieve a reduction in size of the optical system. However, the optical system is not satisfactorily corrected for aberrations.
JP(A) 8-292368, 8-292372, 9-222561, 9-258105 and 9-258106 all disclose examples of zoom lens systems. In these examples, however, the number of reflections is undesirably large because an image is relayed in a prism. Therefore, surface accuracy errors and decentration accuracy errors of reflecting surfaces are transferred while being added up, unfavorably. At the same time, the overall size of the optical system unavoidably increases, also unfavorably.
JP(A) 10-20196 discloses an example of a two-unit zoom lens system having a positive front unit and a negative rear unit, in which the positive front unit comprises a prism of negative power placed on the object side of a stop and a prism of positive power placed on the image side of the stop. JP(A) 10-20196 also discloses an example in which the positive front unit, which comprises a prism of negative power and a prism of positive power, is divided into two to form a three-unit zoom lens system having a negative unit, a positive unit and a negative unit. However, the prisms used in these examples each have two transmitting surfaces and two reflecting surfaces, which are all independent surfaces. Therefore, a relatively wide space must be ensured for the prisms. In addition, the image plane is large in size in conformity to the Leica size film format. Accordingly, the prisms themselves become unavoidably large in size. Furthermore, because the disclosed zoom lens systems are not telecentric on the image side, it is difficult to apply them to image pickup devices such as CCDs. In either of the examples of zoom lens systems, zooming is performed by moving the prisms. Accordingly, the decentration accuracy required for the reflecting surfaces becomes tight in order to maintain the required performance over the entire zooming range, resulting in an increase in the cost.
The above-mentioned JP(A) 10-20196 discloses an optical system having, as shown in FIG. 27, a first prism 210, a stop 202, a second prism 220 similar to the first prism 210, and an image plane 203. The first prism 210 has a first transmitting surface 211, a first reflecting surface 212, a second reflecting surface 213, and a second transmitting surface 214. The second prism 220 has a first transmitting surface 221, a first reflecting surface 222, a second reflecting surface 223, and a second transmitting surface 224. In this optical system, however, a principal ray a entering the first prism 210 and a principal ray b exiting from the first prism 210 are approximately parallel to each other. Moreover, the second prism 220 is placed directly behind the first prism 210 in series. Therefore, the degree of design freedom is limited to a considerable extent. In addition, it is difficult to make the optical system thin in the direction of the optical axis.
When a general refracting optical system is used to obtain a desired refracting power, chromatic aberration occurs at an interface surface thereof according to chromatic dispersion characteristics of an optical element. To correct the chromatic aberration and also correct other ray aberrations, the refracting optical system needs a large number of constituent elements, causing the cost to increase. In addition, because the optical path extends straight along the optical axis, the entire optical system undesirably lengthens in the direction of the optical axis, resulting in an unfavorably large-sized image pickup apparatus.
In decentered optical systems such as those described above in regard to the prior art, an imaged figure or the like is undesirably distorted and the correct shape cannot be reproduced unless the formed image is favorably corrected for aberrations, particularly rotationally asymmetric distortion.
Furthermore, in a case where a reflecting surface is used in a decentered optical system, the sensitivity to decentration errors of the reflecting surface is twice as high as that in the case of a refracting surface, and as the number of reflections increases, decentration errors that are transferred while being added up increase correspondingly. Consequently, manufacturing accuracy and assembly accuracy, e.g. surface accuracy and decentration accuracy, required for reflecting surfaces become even more strict.